Car-coupling.



PATENTED 235, 1908.-

J; TESSIER. GAR COUPLING. APIPLIOATIQN TILED JULY 3,1907.

[Mum Tole 5 WJYLVESLJEC:

. specification.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, JOSEPH TESSIE R, OF ANTI EB, NORTH DAKOTA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Aug. 25, 15908.

Application filed July 3, 1907. Serial No. 382,124.

To altwhom it may concern."

Belt known that I, JosEPii TESSIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Antler,

in the county of Bottineau and'State of North Dakota, have invented a new and use ful Car-Coupling, of which the following is a This invention relates to improvements in car couplings of the automatic type, and it has for its object to provide an improved coupling of this character that will insure the safety of those persons employed in coupling.

and uncoupling the cars, and it is capable of use on heavy trains without liability of accidental uncoupling, .the coupling bars and" their cooperating locking members being so constructed and mounted in the respective draw-heads that they are amply strong to Withstand the draw-barpull of the heaviest trains, and the locking members are held in operative position and tripped at the propermoinent automatically, so that it is unneces-- sary for the train men tov enter between the cars prior to or ddring the coupling operation,-impro ved, devices being employe for operating the locking member to unlock the cou ling bar and actuatin the trip to'retain the ockingmember in un ocked position or in'readiness for the coupling operation;

To these and other ends, the invention comprises the various novel features of con- I struction and combination and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out particularly in the ap ended claims.

n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a car coupling constructed in accordance with thepresent invention, one

of the draw heads being shown partly in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the coupling, portions of the draw-heads being shown in section. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of one of the draw-heads taken on the line 33'of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 represents a section of a portion of one of the draw-heads on the line44 of Fig. 2. l

- Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

.tion, the coupling is provided with a pair of In the present embodiment ofiii y invencoupling bars, one of which is attached permanently to each draw-head and is adapted to cooperate with a locking. member on the p r t g raw-head, such an arrange-- ment nsuring the proper relation of the coupling bars and their respective locking members at either end of the car, although it will be understood, of course, that a single coupling barmay be employed as a connection between the draw-heads. In the present instance, the draw-heads 1 and 2, which are suitably connected to the draw-bars on the res ective cars, areconnected by a pair of coup ing' bars 3 and 4,. the coupling-bars in the formsshown being du lica/tes arranged in reversed relation when t e draw-heads are coupled, the draw-head 1' having a recess 5 extending inwardly from its'endto receive the attach-1 ing end 6 of the coupling bars 4, a pivot 7 extending'horizontally through the we ls of the recess and cooperating with thecoupling bars to permit a limited vertical movement made, although the draw-heads may'stand at different heights. The. draw-head 2 is provided with asimilar' recess 8 arrangedout of alinement with the corresponding recess in the draw-head 1, and into the recess8 is fitted the attaching end 9 of the cou ling bars cooperatingwith the respective couplingtbaif and permitting it a limited vertical movement in the manner and for the purposes described in connection with the coupling bar 4.

which are arranged to enter the openings 13 and '14 in the draw-head when brought to composed of enlargements, in the present in.- stance, having their forward portions ta. pered or pointed in order to facilitate their Which engage on opposite sides of the respectIV coupling bars at a point in rear of the and as the slot is, wider than the opening into thereof that will enable the coupling to be gether, the heads on the coupling bars being lockingshoulders'1'5 and 16, the arms oper-- ating vertically in the slot, provided for them 3, a pivot pin 10 supported in the aw-headf The outer ends of the couplingbars3 and-4 are provided with locking heads 11 and 12.

entrance, and they have locking shoulders 15 stantially parallel flocking arms 21 and '22 which the coupling bar fits, a pair of vertical grooves are formed in the opposite vertical walls of the opening into which the arms of the locking member fit, and are thus rein.- forced. If so desired, a further reinforcement for the locking member may be provid'ed by extending portions of the slot below ent instance comprising a shaft 27 which is journaled on a suitable or tion of the car, preferably in such a position that its outer end may be' provided with an operating crank or handle which is accessible from one side of the car, so that it will be unnecessary for the operator to enter between the cars to couple and uncouple them, and any suitable connection 'may e employed between the shaft and the locking member, a crank 28 be ing provided on the shaft in the present instance, and it is connected to the locking member by a chain or other suitable connection 29, rotation of the shaft in one direction serving to elevate its respective locking member .to uncouple the draw-head, and a reverse movement of the shaft permitting a movement of the locking member toward coupled position,

7 Any suitable means may be employed for lifting and retaining the locking members in uncoupled position in order that the locking heads on the respective coupling bars may enterthe cooperating draw-heads when the latter are brought together, the device, as shown in the present. embodiment of my invention, being so constructed'and arranged that it will be operated by the same parts which operate the locking member, and it serves to retain the latter in unlocked nosition, and it operates automatically to re ease the locking member when the draw-heads are brought together. The device shown in the present instance for accomplishingithis purpose comprises a trip which is composed of an actuating member 30 mounted to operate in slots 31 and 32 in the draw-head, and it has a pair of vertical slots 33 and 34 arranged to receive a pin 35 which extends horizontally within the draw-head, The actuating member is provided with a cross bar or other form of abutment 36 adapted to be. operated by the coupling bar of the 00- operating draw-head as the coupling bar moves into coupled position. The trip for retaining the locking member in unlocked position and for releasing it at the proper moment is pperatively connected to the actuating member, the trip comprising, in

seaws the present instance, a bell crank lever 37 which. is pivotally connected at an intermediate point to the upper end of the actu-- ating member, one arm, 38, of the hell or ank being arranged to cooperate with the upper surface of the draw-head as a fulcrum to ele vate the actuating member, and-also serving I as a .detent'adapted to cooperate with the shoulder 39 formed between the arms of the locking member. The other arm of the bell crank, -40, is operatively connected by a chain or other flexible connection 41 to the pipe 28, so that when the latter is turne'din a direction that will unlock the locking memher, the bell crank will simultaneously rock on the arm 38 thereof-as a fulcrum, first lifting the actuating member so as to disengage the abutment 36 thereon from the cooperating coupling bar, and, as the locking member reaches unlocked position, the arm 38 will move into engagement with the shoulder 39 of the locking member, as shown at the left hand side of Fig. 2. When the locking members of both .draw-heads' are elevated, the draw-heads may be uncoupled, the locking members being retained 1n unlocked position by the arm 38 of the bell crank operating as a detent, and, when thelocking headhf a coup ling bar on another draw-head strikes the abutment 36, it will move the actuating member i'earwardly until the bell-crank lever is disengaged from the locking member, the locking head on the coupling bar at this 1 time being sufficientl inserted to permit the lockingmember-to fa l into coupled position; In the present instance, the forward end of "each coupling bar is preferably recessed to constructed in accordance with the present invention are capable of being'cou'pled and uncoupled with the greatest facility, and without the necessity of the trainman or operatorenteringbetween the cars to make the coupling or to set the. parts, the parts being automatically set, in the. resent instance, by the previous uncoup mg opera-- tion, and the construction of the coupling is trains without iability of accidental uncoupling or breakage.

What is claimed is 1. In a carcoupling the combination with a draw'head having a coupling bar receiving opening and a coupling bar disposed to en-- such that it is ca able of use on the heaviestof an actuating 'member mevably mounted within and extending beyond the drawhe a detent Pivotally connected to the projecting ortion of said member," a-locking member isposed to cooperate with the cou lin bar,'and lifting incansgcii'nnectedto't e etent and locking member forsimultaneously raising said lockmgf'member and shifting .gagement. therewith.

- In a car coupl ng the detent into en-v v the combinationjwith a'- drawjhe ad having a couplin bar receiving opening, and a con" ling bar isposed to en-.

terftheop g; 0 a locking member ably mounted withinthe'draw head and dis- V fios'edto engage the coupling bar, a pivoted etent for en aging the locking member to h'old it in u ocked position, an actuating member pivotally mounted Within and exn ngbeyond the draw head and consti a support for the'detent, said member being, capable of longitudinal movement,

- andga: cross bar carried by the actuating member-and in. thepath of the coupling bar.

arijd dispo'sed to'be actuated by 'saidcoupling bar to withdraw the detent'from engagement with the locking member.

" 3. In acar coupling, the combination with a draw-head having a coupling bar receivin opening therein, and a coupling bar adapte to cooperate therewith, of a vertically movable lockin member, anactua'ting member mounted or ivotal and reciprocatory movements and avin apart arranged to be engaged by the'coup ing bar as the latter moves into coupled position, a bell crank pivotally connected to the free end of the actuating member and having an arm arranged to 006 erate withthe locking member to retain the 1 atter in inoperative position by a pivotal movement of the actuating member, and serving to reciprocate the latter to disengage the latter from the coupling bar. i 

